What is Silver: Definition and 128 Discussions

Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin argentum, derived from the Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ: "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. The metal is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.
Silver has long been valued as a precious metal. Silver metal is used in many bullion coins, sometimes alongside gold: while it is more abundant than gold, it is much less abundant as a native metal. Its purity is typically measured on a per-mille basis; a 94%-pure alloy is described as "0.940 fine". As one of the seven metals of antiquity, silver has had an enduring role in most human cultures.
Other than in currency and as an investment medium (coins and bullion), silver is used in solar panels, water filtration, jewellery, ornaments, high-value tableware and utensils (hence the term "silverware"), in electrical contacts and conductors, in specialized mirrors, window coatings, in catalysis of chemical reactions, as a colorant in stained glass and in specialised confectionery. Its compounds are used in photographic and X-ray film. Dilute solutions of silver nitrate and other silver compounds are used as disinfectants and microbiocides (oligodynamic effect), added to bandages and wound-dressings, catheters, and other medical instruments.

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  1. Astronuc

    300 Silver Coins of Danish, Arab and Germanic origin found

    1,000-year-old Viking coins unearthed by young girl with metal detector https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-000-old-viking-coins-104000120.html https://nordjyskemuseer.dk/hele-to-vikingeskatte-fundet-naer-fyrkat/?fbclid=IwAR1_EIaf7CmKeero2yeIq-q0jRdx54E_QPfcc0zjI9lsNayBp1tRwtGYA6o?ftag=YHF4eb9d17
  2. BiemNL

    B What wires should I use for my wire chamber?

    I want to make my own multi-wire chamber for school, and I wonder what kind of effect different wires will have on the efficiency. After reading many papers containing research for wire chambers, I saw that all of them did tests with wires made of gold plated tungsten wires with a diameter of...
  3. Astronuc

    Farmer looks for hammer, finds gold and silver in Hoxne, Suffolk

    In 1992, Suffolk-resident Eric Lawes and retired farmer, went looking for a missing/misplaced hammer. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/16/hoxne-hoard/ Lawes discovered what became known as the Hoxne Hoard, "close to 60 pounds of items made from silver and gold were found on the site...
  4. BillTre

    Cats, Mosquitoes, and Silver Vine: A Tale of Euphoria and Protection

    From a Science mag news article. It can also affect non-domestic cats: Apparently, nepetalactone is known to have mosquito repellent properties (similar to DEET). Not that surprising if its supposed to protect the plants from aphids.
  5. J

    Exploring Silver Surfer and Other Flying Devices in Movies

    After reading the Jetman has died from accident using the jet. Vince Reffet, 'Jetman' pilot, dies in training accident in Dubai - CNN I watched Silver Surfer movie thinking a portable flying device based on gravitation nullifying material is safer. But it is difficult to balance on the silver...
  6. C

    Is the skin depth of tarnished silver any different than untarnished?

    That's it, just the question. I am figuring that the tarnish is an irrelevance as it does not participate either magnetically or electrically, so any RF current passing through the [still metallic] silver top layer, albeit with tarnish over the top, will pass through the same thickness of...
  7. C

    Solubility of weak acid salts of aluminum and silver

    I'm curious what weak acids will form soluble salts with aluminum, but not silver. From a solubility chart (https://www.flinnsci.com/globalassets/flinn-scientific/all-product-images-rgb-jpegs/ap6901etc.jpg?v=cc7f986a028e4adf833ea6341200add2), HCl, HBr, and HI will form soluble aluminum salts...
  8. S

    Why aren't nickel and silver soluble in each other?

    Hume–Rothery rules seem to be moderately satisfied for nickel to readily dissolve in silver. Silver has a radius of 144, valence of 1 and an electronegativity of 1.93. Nickel has a radius of 124, valence of 2 and an electronegativity of 1.91. Both elements have a fcc crystal structure. I read...
  9. C

    Magnetic properties of silver steel

    Hi, A straight question here, no complicated quantum theory equations for this, I just want to know a piece of data. What is the saturation flux of silver steel? It has a fraction of a percent of chromium in it, so was wondering if it was less than carbon steel's ~1.6T?
  10. T

    Which metal is safest for hair/scalp? Bismuth, silver or zinc oxide?

    A little background on my experiment … "Henna" (Lawsonia plant hair dye going way back to ancient times) used to be combined with metallic salts to cause it to adhere to the hair and make it thicker with cumulative use. In foreign countries "compound henna" is still being sold but often w/...
  11. Skyland

    The Possibility of Value in Amalgam Alloys of Gold, Copper and Silver

    Would using mercury to form amalgam alloys combining gold, copper, and silver have any electronic value? Has this amalgam ever been made and tested in conductivity and Malleability? Or would it just be an expensive filling?
  12. AlejandreBurgues908

    Calculate the torsion of a silver thread

    Homework Statement The torsion balance shown in the figure consists of a 40 cm long bar with lead balls with a diameter of 2 cm on each end. The rod is hanging by a 100 cm long silver thread with a diameter of 0.5 mm. When two bigger lead balls (density = 11.4 g/cm3) with a diameter of 30 cm...
  13. M

    How to clean lead and tin off silver the smart way?

    Greetings electro chemistry wizards! A quick speculation here... should be easy to sort out whether feasible. I have nice old pocket watch made of sterling silver that some numpty tried to fix with soft solder - lead & tin i presume but god knows when repair was attempted so it could be newer...
  14. S

    Percent composition of Silver (two naturally occurring isotopes)

    Homework Statement Silver has two naturally occurring isotopes: Ag−107 with a mass of 106.905 amu and a natural abundance of 51.84 %, and Ag−109. Use the atomic mass of silver listed in the periodic table to determine the mass of Ag−109. express answer to 4 sig-figs and use appropriate units...
  15. A

    What is the volume of a block of silver that weighs 107 N

    How to find the volume of a block of silver that weighs 107 Newtons
  16. SSequence

    Silver Prospector Problem (General Case)

    Here is a a description of the problem: http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.99/jackson2.html http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.07/h/shanna1.html The question is also in one of Martin Gardner's puzzle books. I was thinking about the solution of the problem for a general...
  17. B

    Tools to differentiate silver from molybdenum

    I remember reading on a blog or a news article on the internet once that sometimes counterfeiters have made fake silver coins and silver bars out of molybdenum. Silver is worth far more than molybdenum. Counterfeiters made fake silver out of molybdenum because they could acquire the molybdenum...
  18. M

    Exploring the Power of Silver Surfer: From Transmutation to Nuclear Fusion

    The Silver Surfer can transmute molecules as when he passes thru a subway train in part 1 or part 2 and he can transform into pure energy. Silver Surfer serves Galactus and destroys planets and let Galactus use it as sustainance. Supposed Silver Surfer would use his power to separate the...
  19. R

    Ultra thin silver and gold foil

    does anyone know where to buy ultra thin (0.024" or less) large silver and gold foil squares (like 7"'x7" for gold/silver and up to 3'x6' for silver)? Looking into large and small sputtering and sealing around a large surface area of metal and connecting the electrode outside the vacuum is...
  20. KarolinaPL

    Silver Salt Solubility: RCOOAg Solubility

    What is the solubility of silver salt of the formula RCOOAg (RCOO=phenylbutyrate, DMF, MeOH, water?)
  21. spearme

    A Silver RF magnetron sputtering targets

    Hi, I'm hoping someone out there can help me. I've vented my system to clean her out this week and as I was checking my targets I noticed that the whole sputtering surface of my silver target was white. I've been able to clean the white layer off but have no idea what it is or how it happened...
  22. S

    Two rods are connected one silver and the other gold.

    Two metal rods, one silver and the other gold, are attached to each other. The free end of the silver rod is connected to a steam chamber, with a temperature of 100oC, and the free end of gold rod to a ice water bath, with a temp of 00 C. The rods are 5.0 cm long and have a square cross-section...
  23. R

    Can a silver atom be physisorbed to its surface?

    Hi all,If there is activation energy for chemisorption, then an atom with insufficient energy to overcome that barrier will remain physisorbed to the surface via van der Waals forces. I would like to further understand this activation energy in terms of, for example, the overlap of electron...
  24. R

    Dissolve silver using nitric acid

    I have a piece of equipment that was manufactured using direct metal laser sintering made of a titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). It is a cylinder with thin helical channels that is located above a vapour source in vacuum. I plan to coat it with silver, and I am looking for an effective way to...
  25. J

    Calculators Ti-84 Plus C Silver Edition vs Ti-Nspire CX

    Hi all, I'm new to this forum and I'm wondering which calculator I should get. I'm planning on taking the ACT so I can't get (use) a Ti-89 titanium or a Ti-nspire CX CAS. I'll taking AP Chemistry, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Physics, and AP Computer Science. Thank You!
  26. W

    Electrical Conductivity of Copper, Gold And Silver

    Copper ::: 60.7 x 106 S m^-1 Silver :::62.9 x 106 S m^-1 Gold :: 48.8 x 106 S m^-1 Why is the electrical Conductivity of these elements this way? I mean down the periodic table it should increase in case of GOLD but instead Gold is have far less value of Electrical Conductivity.
  27. I

    Why is silver the best conductor?

    More specifically, the free electron density in increasing order goes like this: Ag Cu Al why then is the conductivity in the reverse order? ie the free electron density doesn't seem to play much of a role in conductivity beyond a certain point.
  28. H

    Which anion could be used to selectively remove silver ions?

    The question is, which anion could be used to selectively remove silver ions from solution? The options are Cl, SO4, or CO3. All 3 of them form precipitates, but is there any that is better than the others?
  29. Y

    Which is the best conductor? Silver or gold? Why?

    According to electrochemical series ,gold is the last element thus it is depicted that it is the best electrical conductor.(most of the teachers say that) But according to the internet the best electrical conductor is silver , following copper and gold. Which one is true and why ?
  30. P

    Would a silver suite be a better body temperature decreaser

    Would a silver suite be a better body temperature decreaser than a mister of water? I cool myself off by spraying myself with water but I hear silver is the best conductor, is it better at conducting heat off my body than mist?
  31. skyshrimp

    Storing silver nitrate solution

    I'm going to attempt the Mohr's Method chloride test at home for my saltwater aquarium. It requires me to add 5g of sliver nitrate to 250ml of distilled water and store it in a brown bottle. I have an opaque, black 750ml bottle I can use that I washed out with 0 TDS water. It used to contain...
  32. C

    The Double Slit Experiemts & Half Silver Mirror Question?

    So based on String theory, when doing a Double Slit Style Experiment when an observation is made it is a particle and when on observation is not made, it is a wave pattern. What exactly do the Interference patterns mean? Basically what I research was this... Doe it means that in the...
  33. C

    Two metal rods, one silver and the other copper, are both immersed at

    Homework Statement Two metal rods, one silver and the other copper, are both immersed at one end in a steam chamber at a temperature of 100°C. The other end of each one is in an ice water bath at 0°C. The rods are 5.0 cm long and have a square cross-section that is 2.0 cm on a side. No heat is...
  34. S

    Neutrons scattering on Silver plate

    Homework Statement A 2 mm thick plate of natural Silver absorbs 11% of neutron flux with kinetic energy 1 eV. What is the total scattering cross section for neutrons? ##\rho (Ag)=10500 kg/m^3## and ##M(Ag)=107.9kg/kmol## What is the ratio between the calculated cross section and geometric cross...
  35. M

    Why is silver acetate sort of insoluble?

    One of my first solubility lessons regarded the great ability of the acetate ion to form a water-soluble salt with any other cation. One of my most recent lessons regarded the great ability of the silver(I) ion to override the previous rule. Why is silver the only ion that makes a...
  36. U

    Silver Atom X-Ray Spectra: Kα & L X-Rays?

    Homework Statement For a silver atom, energy corresponding to Kα transition is 21.75 KeV. Also minimum energy of a striking electron so as to produce L X-Rays is 3.56 keV. Now, if electron with an energy of 23 keV strike a silver target the characteristic X-rays spectrum will have a)only kα...
  37. K

    Why does silver carbonate dissolve in nitric acid?

    This is my last question on a prefab and I want to make sure this answer is correct. The question states; On the basis of LeChatelier's principal, explain why silver carbonate dissolves when nitric acid is added. I said it was because mixing nitric acid and silver carbonate will produce...
  38. mesa

    Anyone have experience with recovering silver from fix?

    We go through an inordinate amount of fix in our photo labs (20+ gallons/week) and are interested in trying to recover the silver. An electrolytic cell seems like the way to go. Anyone have suggestions, tips, or advice in general?
  39. F

    Electrolysing Sodium Chloride: Silver vs Graphite

    If I was to electrolyse a hot sodium chloride solution I'm pretty sure a copper electrode would react to make copper chloride. Whereas I would have used graphite electrodes if the solution was cold, this reaction should produce sodium chlorate which can obviously be quite reactive with organic...
  40. 7

    Photoelectric efect on a silver ball

    Homework Statement Lets say we have a silver ball with radius ##r=1cm## hanging on a string which is an isolator. What is a charge on the ball if we shine on it with a light with ##\lambda = 200nm##? The work function for silver is ##A_0 = 4.7eV##.Homework Equations \begin{align} &W - A_0 = W_k...
  41. L

    Calculate resistance with a silver plate in circuit

    Here is the question that a circuit with silver plate, i though silver plate will act as conductor but I can't the answer 1.333. If i assume it as insulator, i will get the answer 1.3333... why? Thanks for your help in advance.
  42. L

    How can i calculate the solbilty of silver chloride?

    Homework Statement Ksp of silver chloride is 1.8x10-10 mol2dm-6 at RTP a) calculate the solubility of silver chloride in gdm-3 in i) pure water ii) in 0.1M silver nitrate solution b)Is silver chloride more soluble in water of in a solution containing silver ions. Why? c) Why is...
  43. D

    Stern-Gerlack Experiment with silver atoms

    Homework Statement The magnetic field in a Stern-Gerlach experiment varies along the vertical direction so that the magnetic field increases by 26.00 T each centimeter. The horizontal length of the magnet is 7.1 cm, and the speed of the silver atoms is 922 m/s. The mass of the silver atom is...
  44. M

    Silver nitrate stains: what doesn't work

    As a science teacher, I also had the unfortunate experience of getting silver nitrate on my hands. As you know, it stains a horrible brown/black colour and is difficult to remove. I would just like to share with my fellow scientists what doesn't work: 1.) Washing your hands with water, no...
  45. J

    Could Elements Weigh Differently on Other Planets?

    I am not an engineer so I was wondering if a pound of gold can ever weigh more than a pound of silver under any circumstances relative to the universe as a whole? John
  46. J

    An electrolysis reaction: Silver electrode and cathode, Rochelle Salt solution

    Hi I'm new to the forum, so first I want to say hello to everyone. I have been interested in Colloidal Silver lately, and I have produced it with electrolysis in distilled water with NaCl as an electrolyte. I have used a Silver electrode and cathode for both of these experiments. I...
  47. C

    Production of Pure, Dry Oxygen from Silver Oxide

    Hi everyone. I have been presented with a problem- to produce a set amount of pure, dry oxygen in any way I can, provided it is safe and accessible. I have chosen to tackle the problem by heating silver oxide until the silver and oxygen separate, however there remains the problem of isolating...
  48. A

    Fission to make gold or silver

    What's stopping entrepreneurs from using fission - taking mercury, for example, or any heavier element for gold/silver - and creating gold and silver from it? Do you think there will come a day when this is commercially viable? Any guesses when?
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